Raven Quest

by Jo Ann Ferguson

  “I don’t know.” She cupped the pendant in her hand. “Maybe, for she was wearing it when she died—the day I was born.”

  He stared at the tarnished gold on her palm. Was this a part of Powell’s clues to find his ship? “Rory, if something is within it …”

  “I thought of that, but the old woman who gave it to me told me it had never opened.”

  “But your chemise does.” He tapped the dangling ribbons.

  “I forgot he undid them,” she gasped.

  He laughed as he sat on the bed, although he wanted to go after Herrera y Fallas and teach him a lesson. No, he would rather be here with Rory. Let Herrera y Fallas stew by himself, realizing that she was here with him. “You looked very much the damsel in distress when Padre Fernando came into the room. Don’t worry. We sail in the morning.”

  “Where were you? I thought you would be here much sooner. When Guillermo—”

  He placed his finger against her quivering lips. “Hush, sweetheart. It’s over. He has shown his hand. I should have been suspicious when Padre Fernando offered us cigars to keep us downstairs.

  “But he admonished Guillermo!”

  “How could you have seen all you have in Port Royal and still be innocent of a man’s lust? That old fox knew what his great-nephew planned but tried to convince us he was shocked.”

  “How do you know?”

  Bending, he kissed her. “He scolded Guillermo for, and I quote, ‘being so slow. I could have bedded her twice in this amount of time when I was twice your age.’ Fine hosts we have. I’ll be glad when we’re back on the Vengeance.”

  “Once you meet with Simon tomorrow morning, we can sail. Maybe we can sail directly to the gold. If he has the answer to the last line, we shall have everything we want.”

  As he smiled and leaned her against the pillows, she knew she had found everything she wanted. She only wished he had.

  Eleven

  Rory sat in bed, her knees pulled up against her chest, as she watched Nathan put on his shoes. “How long will you be gone?” she asked.

  “We should be back before midday. We shall sneak out during the noon meal, and the Vengeance will have us on our way before they realize we have left.”

  She held up her arms as he kissed her. With a roguish chuckle, he pushed her back into the pillows. The answering desire burst forth within her again.

  “Remember how it feels when I touch you, sweetheart. Once the Vengeance is under sail, her captain and his lady will retire to their quarters to continue this.”

  “Hurry back from your meeting. I will be waiting here for you.” She smiled when he blew her a kiss as he walked out.

  She winced as she stretched to pick up her chemise. The long scratch on her arm was stiff. Curse Guillermo!

  Dressing, she gathered all her things together. Her fingers stroked her mother’s Bible and the box the Blindman had given her. She yelped when a piece of coral scraped her finger. Popping it in her mouth for a moment, she tied her things in the kerchief she once had worn under her hat. She put them on the table by the door and smiled at Nicte as she walked out. She wished she could tell the maid goodbye, but no one must know they were leaving.

  She went down the stairs, glad that Luz and Señora Fallas were chatting in one of the parlors. Inching past its door, she breathed a sigh of relief. She did not want to suffer their censure again.

  Muted sunlight met her when she entered the gardens in the central courtyard. Clouds rose like floating mounds of ash in the sky, promising more rain before the day was over. Good! A storm would make it less likely anyone in this house would follow them.

  She would miss walking in this garden. Running her fingers along the brightly painted tiles and taking a deep breath of the fragrance, she turned a corner and almost ran into Padre Fernando.

  “Excuse me,” she said with a smile.

  “Ah, here you are, my child.” Padre Fernando sat on a bench. “Sit with me, my child.”

  “Thank you.”

  “I am sorry I haven’t been able to get the information you need about your father. The Raven stopped here only once, when she needed repairs. The other ships never moored in Havana. I wish I could do more to help you.”

  She smiled weakly. She hated lying to him when he was being so kind. “I appreciate your trying. My mother will have to be happy with what I have been able to discover.”

  “You have discovered a sense of peace here in Havana, I think.”

  For a moment, she did not answer. Peace? She had spent the whole time trying to keep Guillermo from bedding her. She had been ill. She had found love in Nathan’s arms. With a soft smile, she said, “I think you are right.”

  He folded her hands in his gnarled ones. “If you wish, my child, you may stay here when the Vengeance sails.”

  She dampened her flinch. She must not let him guess their plans to leave today. “I don’t think that would be a good idea.”

  “Perhaps you are right, for I see in your eyes that you wish to go with Captain Lawler, but remember, here you have a haven, my child. Do not fear my foolish great-nephew. He has been told that you are a lady, and he is to treat you that way. He never disobeys me.”

  “You are very kind, but I must go. As you said, my life is with Nathan now.”

  “Think of what I have said to you, my child. I will see you at supper this evening.” He closed his eyes, and she knew she had been dismissed.

  Rory continued through the flower beds. She glanced at the sun, which was trying to elude the clouds. Nathan would be gone at least another hour. She should have gone with him. They could have devised some excuse to leave on a false errand this morning. Now, all she could do was pace.

  She went into her favorite part of the garden. The flowers were so bright they rivaled the sunshine. A small fountain with a brass dolphin was at its center.

  When she bent to look at the multicolored fish in the fountain, she saw the reflection of another person in the rippling water. She did not have a chance to turn before pain erupted through her head. Without even a moan, she slipped to the ground, senseless.

  Rory’s eyes opened to darkness. The familiar motion told her she was on a ship, but she could not see. Her head ached so deeply, she groaned as she placed her fingers against her forehead.

  “Nathan? Would you light the lamp? It’s so dark.” When she got no response, she called his name louder. Again, no answer.

  She rolled onto her side and realized she was not in the captain’s cabin on the Vengeance. Dampness oozed through her gown, and a stench threatened to choke her. Something skittered in the darkness. Where was she?

  Fear forced her to her feet, but she swayed and fell to the damp floor with a jar, which made her gasp. She pushed herself up again. It hurt to move, but she had to discover where she was and how she had gotten here.

  The last thing she remembered was walking in the gardens of La Casa de las Flores. She leaned against the wall and moaned. Someone had been standing behind her, reflected in the fountain—then there was nothing but agony. That person must have struck her on the head and brought her here. But where was here?

  She staggered through the darkness, looking for some clue. The darkness was so complete she could not see even her outstretched hands. The narrow, curved walls came to a point not far from where she had been lying. The floor was rocking steadily. It was not just her aching head. She must be in a hold. But of what ship?

  That she could not guess, but she was sure she knew why. Someone had discovered she was Stuart Powell’s daughter and wanted her to help find her father’s gold. But who? For so many years, she had been ignored in Port Royal. Now the truth was exploding like the pain across her head.

  Footsteps sounded outside her door. They must have been listening for her to wake. A shudder swept into her frightened heart. Who waited on the far side of the door? She squared her shoulders and clasped her hands behind her back. That way her captor would not be able to see how they shook. She was Rory Mullins. Sh
e had faced the most abominable pirates at Yellow Hal’s place and bested them all.

  All but Yellow Hal.

  She ignored that small voice in her head as the door opened and light burned her eyes. A man holding a lantern spoke, but she could not understand. He motioned for her to come out. Certain she had no choice, she obeyed.

  Another man waited in the passageway. He stank of weeks of sweat and rum. He pulled her toward a ladder just down the passageway. With a laugh, he shoved her forward. She moaned as her shin hit the splintered wood.

  “Climb!” he ordered in a heavy accent she could not identify. Not English or Spanish or French. Who were these curs?

  Rory spat a curse. From the bafflement on his face, she knew his English was not fluent. She smiled and repeated it in a sugary tone, adding another insult. This one he understood because he growled and raised his fist. She hurried up the ladder.

  She took a deep breath of salt air as she emerged from the hold. The sun had been captured by the clouds, so she had no idea how long she had been senseless.

  A hand against her waist pushed her away from the hatch. The deck of the ship was littered with a variety of crewmen, each more scurrilous than his mate. She shivered with a terror that she couldn’t ignore. Nathan and his men might be pretending to be privateers, but these, she knew, were real pirates, the kind she had tried to keep out of Yellow Hal’s place.

  The man behind her gave her another prod, this time toward the stern. She turned to glare at him and saw he was disappointed she had not sprawled face first on the deck.

  “Touch me again, and I will—” She reached for her knife.

  “You look for your weapon?” He reached under his torn shirt. Pulling out her knife, he rocked it in front of her and laughed.

  She knew better than to try to take it back. He might kill her. “If I had it, you’d be sorry!”

  “Perhaps.” Taking her arm, he steered her toward the stern.

  Rory tensed as the men made catcalls and openly ogled her. She shrieked when one man grabbed at her skirt. She tugged it away. Another man reached out to touch her hair. In horror, she tried to edge away from the toothless man. She kicked at him, but he grabbed her foot, his fingers stroking her ankle.

  “No!” she cried. “Get away!”

  The man holding her arm guffawed, then snapped a single word. Immediately the men backed away, clearing a path toward a door. He pulled her to it.

  His knock brought a quick burst of the language she could not understand. He said, “Go in. The cap’n wants you.”

  She was sure she could not breathe as she saw the truth in his eyes. These men did not want only the Raven’s gold—they wanted her.

  He opened the door and, with a cruel chuckle, thrust her into the room. Hands steadied her as she heard the door close. Gently she was brought into a strong embrace against a shirt that did not reek with offal. Wide-eyed, she stared up at Guillermo Herrera y Fallas.

  “Buenos días, mi querida.” He smiled.

  “Take your filthy hands off me, Guillermo!” She struggled to think through the pain in her skull. Padre Fernando had been so sure his great-nephew would not try to hurt her again. He had been wrong. “How dare you do this to me? I didn’t think you would stoop to kidnapping me from your great-uncle’s house.”

  “I would not do such a thing. Allow me to introduce you to who did.”

  “No introduction is necessary. You do look better as a woman, Rory, my girl, than you did as a lad.”

  Rory’s heart froze in mid-beat. Yellow Hal Warwick! This was no vision brought on by sun sickness. His narrow eyes glistened with candid lust. She wanted to scream, but no sound came from her throat. As she saw his tongue moisten his lips in anticipation of what they both knew he wanted, she fought to loosen the breath clogged deep in her chest.

  Guillermo drew her back a half-step and snaked his arm around her waist. She recoiled from his touch but did not move away. Guillermo was her only bulwark against Yellow Hal.

  Nathan! Where was he? Had they killed him? Her knees almost buckled at the thought.

  “A real beauty, isn’t she?” crowed Yellow Hal. “It’s hard to believe she convinced all of Port Royal she was a lad.”

  “A lad?” Guillermo frowned.

  It did not take Yellow Hal long to tell the tale of Rory’s masquerade in Jamaica. She noticed that he did not mention how he had been taken in by her disguise as well. “She will fool none of us again.”

  “Do not forget, mi amigo, that she is mine. That was part of our bargain. You may have the information in her head, but her body belongs to me.”

  Rory tugged away and fisted her hands on her waist as she glared at them. “I don’t belong to either of you!”

  “Listen, you Spanish dog!” The scar on Yellow Hal’s cheek was vivid as he advanced on Guillermo, who did not move. “This is my ship. What I want, I will take.”

  “Try your heavy-handed techniques,” Guillermo said with a superior smile, “and you will get nothing from her. I know Rory far better than you.” He ran his hand through her hair, but she pulled away another step. His smile became more frigid. “Leave her with me, and I will get the information from her. For that information, I get Rory and a quarter-share of the gold.”

  “You’re wasting your time arguing,” she said, edging away from both of them and around the table in the middle of the room, which was twice the size of Nathan’s quarters. She glanced toward the one window, but it was too small to scramble through. Even if she could, where could she go? “I don’t know anything about any gold.”

  Guillermo ignored her as he sneered at the pirate. “She has been helping Lawler because she believes he cares for her. She is only a woman, Captain Warwick. Treat her well, and she will give you what you want.”

  “Did you just figure that out?” she fired back. “You didn’t know that last night.”

  “Last night?” Yellow Hal scowled. “She’s sleeping with you and Lawler? She’s a whore like her mother.”

  She bristled. “My mother—”

  He continued, drowning out her protest. “She won’t refuse me if I question her.”

  “No, she will die without saying a word.” Guillermo flicked his fingers at his immaculate coat. She never guessed he would be her ally.… But he was not her ally. He only wanted to use her, too. “Kill her, and your last chance of recovering the gold is gone.”

  Yellow Hal cursed and stormed out of the room.

  Rory swallowed roughly. She had not expected him to give up without more of a fight. Then she realized he wanted the Raven’s gold so much he would let even Guillermo give him orders … for a while.

  She glanced at Guillermo. When he stepped toward her, she backed away.

  “Don’t worry,” he said. “I will not let Captain Warwick near you, for I have convinced him you are willing to help us.”

  “Help you with what?”

  He reached for her, but she held her arms in front of her to halt him. With a laugh, he batted them aside. Grasping her shoulders, he slid his mouth across hers.

  Viciously, she slapped him. He released her, and she scowled as she straightened her disheveled and filthy gown. “Do not touch me again!”

  “It isn’t like before. You don’t give me orders. You need me.”

  “I don’t need you, Guillermo Herrera y Fallas. Nathan will make you sorry you kidnapped me.”

  “Don’t be stupid, Rory. Lawler doesn’t love you. All he wants is the Raven’s treasure.”

  “Raven? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “No? You mentioned the ship when you were lying to my great-uncle.”

  She tried to laugh, but the sound was brittle. “Ernest gave me the names of several ships, so we could persuade your great-uncle to let us stay at his house while we visited Havana.”

  Pinching her face in his long fingers, he said, “Your lies won’t work, mi querida. I know it’s your father’s ship, Aurora Raven Powell.”

  “My n
ame is Rory Mullins.”

  “So you are Powell’s bastard? I wonder how many half-brothers and -sisters you have throughout the Caribbean.”

  Her chin raised as she realized lying was futile. “My father loved my mother and me, Guillermo.”

  “Obviously, he loved your mother at least once.”

  Rory’s lips clamped closed.

  “Do not answer, if you wish, mi querida.”

  “I have nothing to say to you!”

  “I have much for you to hear. Let me tell you why I am interested in the Raven. It’s more than the gold. My father was an honorable man, dedicated to his king and his country. His ship was called La Madre Maria.” When she choked back a gasp, he smiled. “I see you recognize the name.”

  She remembered the map from her mother’s Bible. La Madre Maria was a galleon targeted by her father on his final voyage. Sickness ate at her. Guillermo wanted more than gold. He wanted to avenge his father by stealing back the treasure.

  Crossing the room, he gripped her shoulders. “Your father murdered mine. Isn’t it ironic that I am the only one standing between you and death? I’ll get my revenge by watching you betray the man you love. You will tell me what we need to know to find the Raven. We will take the gold, and when the Vengeance arrives, Lawler will be as dead as your father.”

  “Guillermo, this is insane.”

  His lips pressed painfully into hers. She tried to push him away, but he picked her up and dropped her on the bed. He leaned over her. “Too bad Nicte could not tell you how I treat those who don’t do as I wish. You might be more willing to obey me. I grew bored with her lack of enthusiasm in my bed, but I won’t tire of so you quickly.”

  “You beast!”

  “Your choice is me or Warwick.”

  She struck him with her elbow and sat. “You are not going to force me to choose between a beast and a savage.”

  He laughed again. “I will be back for your answer in an hour, mi querida.” He caressed her cheek with the back of his hand, then groped for her breast.

  She pushed his fingers away. “Don’t ever touch me again!”